Recently, a common idea of Australia and New Zealand provides a "model for the future" to solve this problem. On May 5th, the two sides reached an agreement that once the travel between the two countries resumed, they would let go of the quarantine-free flow of people to each other. As Australia and New Zealand are located on both sides of the Tasman Sea, this arrangement is called trans-Tasman travel bubble.
Perhaps the expression "travel bubble" is not common, and most British and American media report with brief descriptions: "travel corridor" and "safe zone". Considering that the trans-Tasman travel bubble currently only covers Australia and New Zealand, it may be more like a "travel corridor"; If, as reported, its scope is further expanded to the Pacific islands in the future, it will be closer to the "travel safety zone".
No matter in Chinese or English, "bubble" doesn’t look like a "safe" image, especially after the financial crisis made the term "bubble economy" widely known. However, in daily life, our parcels can be safely delivered, which is largely due to the bubble wrap composed of "bubbles".
Although the use of Bubble as a "safe area" is not common, it is not initiated by Australia and New Zealand. In the United States and other countries, abortion is often a controversial social issue. In order to prevent medical practitioners who choose abortion and medical institutions that provide abortion services from "sidewalk interference", a creation of a perimeter around the relevant medical institutions and even the residence of medical personnel can be delineated according to the law. To restrict protesters and other displays are restricted to a certain distance from the building. And this designated area is called bubble zone.
If "bubble" can bring a sense of security, it probably stems from its "enclosure" attribute. "Closure" sometimes brings "exclusivity", So "living in a bubble" is not worth being happy-it means "a situation in which an Internet user encounters only information and opinions that conform to and reinforce their own ideas". This phenomenon is mostly caused by algorithms filtering, also known as filter bubble. The bubble here is similar to the "information cocoon" or "echo chamber".
Back to travel bubble, it is precisely because of its "closed", that is, temporarily restricting people from more severely affected places, to ensure the safety of travel in the region after recovery. Therefore, even if it can be popularized in the future, it will basically be limited to "neighbors who share environmental records in controlling corona virus". But its "exclusiveness" also attracts attention. The Financial Times pointed out that there are "potential pitfalls" in travel bubble, including "risk exacting inequalities with poor countries that are excluded".
Anyway, this arrangement is a small beginning to return to normal life. If time proves that travel bubble can really become a "template of the future", the seemingly fragile bubble will also become the "a first building block in something bigger" (the cornerstone of grand architecture) in the report. (Zhang Yining)